Offshore wind energy - draft updated Sectoral Marine Plan 2025: consultation

Key Considerations

Development should take account of the below key considerations through project design, project level assessment and decision making. Those specified nationally apply across all OAs and potential T&D projects, cover potential impacts from all aspects of offshore wind array development, and include high-level consideration of construction and maintenance of devices. Additional considerations have been set out by region to highlight any key regionally specific points, however, no national scale considerations will be repeated in the regional sections. Further details on environmental, social, and economic considerations are set out in the accompanying assessments, with brief assessment summaries available in Annex C of this document.

National

The draft updated Plan identifies 32 OAs across the five regions within Scottish waters. The total area of all regional sea spaces combined is 200,586 km², with the OAs accounting for 4.77% of this area, which equates to 9,569 km². In line with the conclusions of the SEA, SEIA, HRA AAIR and NCMPA assessment, the draft updated Plan includes measures to mitigate potential impacts at various scales. This includes a requirement for further spatial planning (micro-siting) within individual OAs.

Plan level effects include impacts on biodiversity including various habitats and species. These include loss and damage to habitats and effects on species including underwater noise, Electromagnetic Field (EMF) exposure, disturbance, collision risk, displacement, habitat exclusion and barriers to movement.

One of the issues most likely to constrain development is the collision or displacement risk for resident and migratory bird populations, with cumulative effects generally split by either east coast or west coast due to distinct populations and migration pathways. Development of OAs located within the East and North East regions is particularly likely to be constrained by bird collision risk, where concerns over bird populations, specifically for kittiwake, guillemot, razorbill, gannet and puffin populations, and possibly also herring gull and great black-backed gull, have been raised against current development projects.

There is uncertainty regarding baseline conditions for bird and marine mammal distribution, foraging range and population within or migrating through Scottish Waters and, therefore, it is expected that individual developments within OAs will be required to establish a robust baseline at a project level against which further assessment can be made.

Plan level effects on migratory fish, including from displacement and physical injury, have been identified across all OAs individually and cumulatively with other developments. However, uncertainty, in part related to an inability to identify connectivity back to individual natal rivers once species are in the marine environment, means that detailed assessment of impacts is expected at the project level.

The installation of turbines and subsea cables will have effects on the seabed within their physical footprint and immediate vicinity, including seabed quality and benthic habitats. This can include the loss of subtidal sands and gravels, which can provide habitats for various species. However, the type of technology used, and the level of scour protection required will likely affect the degree of impact to the seabed.

Significant effects on landscapes and seascapes are likely for OAs located inshore and within 30 km from inhabited shorelines, particularly in regions that host National Scenic Areas.

Dependent on the specifics of the activity and location, similar environmental effects are also possible from the storage, construction and maintenance^[6] of offshore wind components in coastal areas, although insufficient detail on the specific activity and locations is currently available for detailed assessment at plan level. Other effects include possible visual effects on coastal areas and settlements as well as navigation and aviation effects and decreased opportunities for marine activities because storage locations are expected to be near coastlines.

On socio-economic factors, the key risks at the national level relate to the cessation or displacement of fishing activity in floating arrays and reduced fishing activity returning to fixed arrays^[7], and the impact this may have on the fishing fleet with a loss of fishing jobs. Effects on navigational safety associated with shipping have also been identified.

However, it is also recognised that implementation of the draft updated Plan will have significant environmental benefits in supporting the decarbonisation of the energy sector, reducing Scotland’s carbon footprint and helping to secure a green energy supply for the UK. Socio-economic benefits are also expected, through the creation of new jobs and reskilling or upskilling opportunities for the workforce and localised benefits occurring across Scotland through increased spending in certain areas.

Opportunities have been identified at a national level as these are applicable to all regions, it is expected that additional specific opportunities will be identified at a project level.

Key opportunities at a national level.

Environmental Opportunities:

• Potential creation of artificial habitats for marine biodiversity; and
• Reduction in Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions through decarbonisation of the energy sector.

Socio-economic Opportunities:

• Job creation and reskilling/upskilling of workforce;
• Potential local community benefits, through increased spending in areas; and
• Contribution to secure energy supply and energy security in the UK.

Key risks at a national level.

Environmental Risks:

• Effects on resident and migratory bird species due to collision or displacement;
• Effects on marine mammals due to displacement or barrier effects;
• Effects on biodiversity, flora and fauna, particularly loss and/or damage of subtidal sand and gravel; and
• Effects on landscape and coastal character and also on visual receptors.

Socio-Economic Risks:

• Cessation of all fishing activity in floating arrays and reduced fishing activity within fixed arrays;
• Reduction in fishing fleet and loss of fishing jobs; and
• Effects on navigational safety associated with shipping.

The following sections summarise the most significant potential risks and opportunities associated with each draft updated Plan region. This is not intended to be an exhaustive list of all potential effects associated with offshore wind development in Scottish waters. As such, the full range of possible effects will need to be clearly identified through project level assessments, which will identify the relevant level of detail required to avoid and mitigate impacts at a project level.

West

The West Region hosts the lowest concentration of OAs, with only one ScotWind site (W1) located off the coast of Islay, and one INTOG site (IN5). This region extends from mainland Scotland just east of Glasgow to the west of the Outer Hebrides, and covers a total of 32,622 km². The total area of the two OAs is 785 km² and equates to 2.4% of the total regional sea space area in the West region.

While the West region does not host extensive construction and operation and maintenance hubs for offshore wind, there are a number of ports and harbours which could facilitate the development of an offshore wind supply chain in the West region.

Other energy generation in the West region includes wave and tidal power stations, with a Wave Plan Option^[8] overlapping with one of the OAs. The West region also includes the majority of power connectors in Scottish waters, connecting island communities with mainland grid infrastructure.

The key environmental risks identified for the West region are:

• Collision or displacement of resident seabirds and migratory birds;
• Displacement of marine mammals, including harbour porpoises and grey seals, resulting from underwater noise effects;
• Displacement and/or disruption to basking sharks, particularly during late summer;
• Visual impact on landscape and coastal character; and
• Impact on navigational safety of shipping and recreational vessels.

The West region has a number of designated sites, which host protected habitats and species. The OAs in the West region are located within the Minches and the Sea of Hebrides Important Marine Mammal Area (IMMA) where nine IMMA species have been recorded. The West region is also considered to be an area of high importance for basking sharks.

The key socio-economic risks identified for the West region are:

• Disruption and displacement of Ministry of Defence (MoD) training activity, including submarine activity;
• Increased fuel costs for recreational boating and commercial shipping due to diversion around arrays;
• Reduced tourism expenditure due to visual impact of arrays and wet storage; and
• Reduction in water sports due to wet storage of turbines and loss of sea area.

There is a high concentration of defence assets in the West region, with most establishments concentrated around the Firth of Clyde. Both draft updated Plan OAs overlap with the existing West of Scotland naval exercise area.

There is a diverse fishing industry as well as aquaculture in the West region, with the value of landings for vessels under 12m at £33 million and £23 million for vessels over 12m, along with a significant fish processing sector on the mainland. Key shipping routes traverse the West region, with busy shipping routes around the North Channel, the Firth of Clyde as well as lifeline ferry services to the Inner and Outer Hebrides.

The West region also hosts a large number of recreational uses including boating, angling, scuba diving, kayaking and canoeing, surfing and windsurfing, and high levels of marine tourism along coastal areas.

North

The North region encompasses four OAs (N1, N2, N3, N4), all of which are ScotWind sites. The region extends from the northern boundary of the West region and includes the western half of the Orkney Islands, the entire north coast of mainland Scotland, the upper tip of the Isle of Skye and the islands of Lewis, Harris and North Uist, and covers a total of 41,080 km². The total area of the four OAs is 1,311 km² and equates to 3.2% of the total regional sea space area in the North region.

Existing energy infrastructure in the North region is limited, with one diesel power station located in Stornoway. The Pentland Floating Offshore Wind Farm has also been consented but is not yet constructed.

Grid connections in the region are limited in the western extent of the region on the Western Isles, but there are a number of large-scale substations on the mainland and subsea cables linking the Western Isles to the mainland, including the proposed Western Isles 1.8 GW HVDC link and two proposed interconnectors between northern Scotland and Iceland.

Other renewable energy opportunities also exist in the region, with a number of small tidal stream energy arrays located south of the Orkney Islands in the Pentland Firth and the European Marine Energy Centre (EMEC), a dedicated test area for wave and tidal energy projects. There are also four Wave Plan Options in the North region, with one overlapping with one of the OAs.

The North region has existing sites and facilities supporting the supply chain for offshore wind, including fabrication facilities and a number of harbours with deep water quays to support the construction, operation and maintenance of offshore wind.

The key environmental risks for the North region are:

• Loss and/or damage of subtidal sands and gravels;
• Displacement of grey seals, whales, dolphins and porpoises resulting from underwater noise effects;
• Collision or displacement of birds, including puffin, fulmar, gannet, guillemot, kittiwake and storm petrel;
• Visual impact on seascape and landscape including Hoy and West Mainland, Orkney, Kyle of Tongue and South Lewis, Harris, and North Uist National Scenic Areas;
• Disruption to navigational safety on Royal Yachting Association recreation routes, International Maritime Organisation deepwater route to the west of the Outer Hebrides and general vessel traffic through the Minches; and
• Noise, vibration, light and shadow flicker effects on the west coast of the Isle of Lewis.

The North region has a number of designated sites, which host protected habitats and species. The North region is particularly known for basking sharks, which are commonly sighted around the Hebrides as well as various species of marine mammals. There are also significant colonies of seabirds near the OAs and inshore areas of the Isle of Lewis, North Coast and west of the Orkney Islands are frequently utilised by seabirds.

The key socio-economic risks for the North region are:

• Reduction in fishing activity by vessels over 12m utilising demersal trawls, midwater trawls, pots and traps and mechanical dredges;
• Negative economic impacts to shipping from increased fuel costs due to diversion around OAs;
• Reduction in tourism expenditure due to tourists being deterred by the visual impacts of offshore wind turbines in arrays;
• Loss of sea area for recreational angling and related total spend by recreational anglers; and
• Reduction in water sports due to storage of turbines and loss of sea area.

The North region hosts a considerable amount of defence-related activity, particularly in the east of the region and in the Minches. There are key shipping routes within the region, including a deepwater route to the west of the Outer Hebrides and key transit routes through the Minches and the Pentland Firth which facilitate lifeline ferry services.

Fishing and fish processing is also an important industry in the North region, with the value of landings for vessels under 12m at £16 million and £77 million for vessels over 12m. Fishing activity is particularly concentrated in the Minches. There is also a large aquaculture industry, with salmon and shellfish production particularly high on the east coast of the Hebrides and the north-west coast of mainland Scotland.

Shetland

The Shetland region encompasses three OAs (NE1A, NE1B and NE1C) which are all ScotWind sites. This region covers all of Shetland and its associated islands including Fair Isle, but excluding Foula, and covers a total area of 20,039 km². The total area of the three OAs is 560 km² and equates to 2.8% of the total regional sea space area in the Shetland region.

Existing energy infrastructure in Shetland includes one gas turbine power station, one diesel generating station and two onshore wind farms. There is a tidal turbine site located at Bluemull Sound, along with three Tidal Plan Options and one Wave Plan Option.

Grid connections in the region are expected to expand and build upon the Shetland High Voltage Direct Current (HVDC) link, which connects Shetland with the National Electricity Transmission System on the mainland for the very first time and supports the transmission of electricity from both onshore and offshore wind projects in Shetland.

Electricity interconnectors include the Maali Link Interconnector with Norway which would cross the OAs; however, final consent is still to be determined by the Norwegian Government.

The Shetland region does not currently have any sites supporting the offshore wind supply chain. However, given the history of oil and gas projects there is potential to utilise existing skills and infrastructure to support the growth of the offshore wind supply chain.

Existing harbours and ports play a key role in the region’s economy, with a major deep-water port at Sullom Voe supporting the oil and gas industry and Lerwick and Scalloway ports providing opportunities for freight, fishing and leisure activities.

The key environmental risks identified for the Shetland region are:

• Loss and/or damage of reef habitats;
• Collision or displacement of birds including puffin, fulmar, kittiwake, guillemot, great skua and gannet;
• Displacement of marine mammals, particularly harbour seals, resulting from underwater noise effects; and
• Disruption to navigational safety on International maritime Organisation Routing Measures Precautionary Area and Royal Yachting Association recreation routes.

The Shetland region has a number of designated sites, which host protected habitats and species including the Pobie Bank Reef Special Area of Conservation which hosts important reef habitats.

There are several key fish habitats, including spawning grounds for whiting, sandeel and cod which overlap with the OAs. The region also has a number of significant seabird colonies located along the coastlines of the Shetland Islands.

The key socio-economic risks identified for the Shetland region are:

• Reduction in fishing activity by vessels over 12m utilising demersal trawls, midwater trawls, demersal seines and longlines;
• Diversion of Maali Interconnector cable route; and
• Reduction in recreational boating activity or increased fuel costs due to diversion around arrays.

Fishing is an important industry in the Shetland region, with the value of landings for vessels under 12m at £7 million and £105 million for vessels over 12m. Aquaculture is similarly an important industry, with the Shetland region producing predominantly mussels and salmon.

Key shipping routes exist between Shetland and the mainland and Orkney Islands, including lifeline ferry services and the import of key commodities. There are also shipping routes to the north of the region connecting Denmark with the Faroe Islands and Iceland.

Recreational boating is highly popular in the Shetland region, as there are over 100 small islands and 900 miles of coastline and popular cruising routes from the north of mainland Scotland linking with Shetland.

North East

The North East region encompasses 12 OAs, with six ScotWind sites (NE2, NE3, NE4, NE6, NE7 and NE8) and six INTOG sites (IN1, IN2, IN3, TOG6, TOG7, TOG9). The region covers the Moray Firth area extending from the eastern half of the Orkney Islands and south of Fair Isle and encompasses the coastal region of mainland Scotland from Wick to Peterhead, covering a total of 57,235 km². The total area of the 12 OAs is 2,975 km² and equates to 5.2% of the total regional sea space area in the Northeast region.

Existing energy infrastructure in the North East region includes a number of gas and biomass power stations as well as existing offshore wind farms, including:

• 588 MW Beatrice Wind Farm (Operational);
• 953 MW Moray East Wind Farm (Operational);
• 882 MW Moray West Wind Farm (Partially Constructed); and
• 560 MW Green Volt Wind Farm (Consented).

There are also Wave and Tidal Plan Options in the east of the Orkney Islands.

The key environmental risks identified for the North East region are:

• Loss and/or damage of reef habitats;
• Loss and/or damage of offshore deep sea muds and seapen habitat;
• Loss and/or damage to ocean quahog aggregations;
• Collision or displacement of birds including kittiwake, guillemot, razorbill, fulmar and storm petrel;
• Displacement or barrier effects to benthic species including sandeel;
• Displacement of marine mammals, including grey seals, bottlenose and white beaked dolphins and minke whale, from underwater noise; and
• Disruption to navigational safety on ferry routes to Orkney Islands and Aberdeen/Peterhead, Royal Yachting Association cruising routes.

The North East region has a number of designated sites, which host protected habitats and species. Areas of high biodiversity are primarily concentrated around the Orkney Islands; however, the region has a large number of migratory fish and spawning and nursery grounds which overlap with the OAs. Sighting of basking sharks are high around the Moray Firth and across the region there are regular sighting of different species of cetaceans. The region also has a high density of grey seals, with populations in close proximity to some OAs within the region. Development has the potential to significantly hinder the achievement of the conservation objectives of the Norwegian Boundary Sediment Plain NCMPA for its protected feature: ocean quahog aggregations, including sands and gravels as their supporting habitat.

The North East region is used by a considerable number of migratory seabirds, particularly around the Orkney Islands and Moray Firth.

The key socio-economic risks identified for the North East region are:

• Reduction in fishing activity by vessels over 12m utilising demersal trawls, midwater trawls, demersal seines, mechanical dredges, pots and traps and surrounding nets;
• Reduction in recreational boating activity or increased fuel costs due to diversion around arrays;
• Management of SHEFA-2 Telecom cable route; and
• Reduction in tourism expenditure due to tourists being deterred by the visual impacts of offshore wind turbines in arrays.

Fishing and fish processing is an important industry in the North East region, with the value of landings for vessels under 12m at £13 million and £153 million for vessels over 12m. The Moray Firth is an area of particularly high fishing intensity, with the port at Peterhead taking in the majority of landings. Aquaculture in the region is mostly concentrated around the Orkney Islands.

There is a high level of shipping in the North East region, particularly in the southern half of the region and around the areas of Peterhead, Moray Firth and Cromarty Firth, with vessels supporting the oil and gas and offshore wind industry. Recreational boating in the region is predominantly centred around the inner Moray Firth and the Moray coastline; however, there are popular cruising routes to Wick, Helmsdale and the Orkney Islands, some of which overlap with OAs. Marine tourism is popular in the area and locations like Fraserburgh are popular for surfing.

A number of long-distance power interconnectors in the North East region intersect the OAs, including the Shetland HVDC Link linking Shetland to Caithness, the Caithness - Moray HVDC Link and the proposed North Connect interconnector between Peterhead and Norway, as well as subsea telecom cables linking the Orkney Islands and Shetland to the mainland.

The region supports a growing supply chain for offshore wind, with a number of ports providing construction and operation and maintenance facilities for existing offshore wind farms.

The North East region has extensive oil and gas activity, with almost all OAs in the region overlapping with oil and gas licensing round blocks and associated infrastructure. The region also has a developing CCUS industry, which will utilise existing oil and gas infrastructure to transport and store carbon offshore. Areas associated with this include the Acorn CCUS cluster and other carbon storage areas and saline aquifers, some of which overlap with the OAs.

A number of main helicopter routes from Aberdeen airport intersect with the OAs, particularly along the eastern half of the region. There is also a high concentration of defence assets, including safeguarding of navigational routes and nationally critical infrastructure and some OAs overlap with MoD firing danger areas.

East

The East region encompasses 12 OAs, with six ScotWind sites (E1A, E1B, E1C, E2A, E2B, and E3) and five INTOG sites (IN4, TOG10, TOG11, TOG12 and TOG13). This region runs from just south of Peterhead to Embleton Bay, south of the Scottish border, including both the Firth of Forth and Firth of Tay, and covers a total of 49,611 km². The total area of the 12 OAs is 3,937 km² and equates to 7.9% of the total regional sea space area in the East region.

Existing energy infrastructure in the region includes a gas turbine at Peterhead and a nuclear power station in Dunbar, south of the Firth of Forth. The region includes a few operational and consented wind farms, primarily concentrated in the Firth of Forth and Firth of Tay. These are listed below:

• 1.5 GW Seagreen Wind Farm (Operational);
• 450 MW Neart na Gaoithe Wind Farm (Under Construction, Partially Operational); and
• 1 GW Inch Cape Wind Farm (Consented).

There are also several smaller T&D windfarms in the region. In addition, the proposed 4.1 GW Berwick Bank Wind Farm, which submitted its consent application in December 2022, is located in the East region.

There are a number of power interconnectors in the East region including the Eastern Green Link 2 connecting Peterhead and Drax, North Yorkshire and the proposed Eastern Green Link 3 connecting Peterhead and the east coast of England. The North Sea Link which connects England to Norway also runs through the region. Similarly, there are a number of substations along the east coast supporting the transmission of electricity to areas of high demand.

There are a number of locations in the East region which support the supply chain for offshore wind, including fabrication hubs, and construction, operation and maintenance sites which support existing and consented wind farms. As such the East region has a number of large ports which support other offshore industries, military uses, freight and lifeline ferry services.

There is extensive oil and gas activity in the East region, particularly toward the eastern boundary which overlaps with many of the OAs. There are two saline aquifers in the region, which could support a developing CCUS industry. There is also a burgeoning hydrogen industry in the East region, with a number of preliminary studies and projects exploring the production, storage and transmission of hydrogen, along with the possibility of using excess electricity from offshore wind farms to produce hydrogen which could be used for decarbonising industry.

The key environmental risks identified for the East region are:

• Collision or displacement of birds including kittiwake, guillemot, razorbill, gannet, puffin, herring gull, great black-backed gull and taiga bean geese;
• Displacement of marine mammals, including grey seal, minke whale and bottlenose dolphin, and sandeel from underwater noise;
• Disruption to navigational safety on ferry routes to Orkney Islands and Aberdeen/Peterhead, Royal Yachting Association cruising routes; and
• Loss and/or damage to ocean quahog aggregations.

The East region has a number of designated sites, which host protected habitats and species. There are four NCMPAs, which are in close proximity with some of the OAs. Key species include the ocean quahog and fan mussels, and there is potential for development to significantly hinder the achievement of the conservation objectives of East of Gannet and Montrose Fields NCMPA, in relation to both protected features of the site: offshore deep sea muds and ocean quahog aggregations, including sands and gravels as their supporting habitat.

The East region has a number of important spawning grounds for fish which are important for the commercial fishing industry. Dolphins are prevalent throughout the region, with high concentrations of bottlenose dolphins in the Firth of Tay and white beaked dolphins being sighted throughout the OAs. There is a declining population of harbour seals along the east coast and grey seals are known to use some of the OAs.

The East region is used by a considerable number of seabirds, with significant colonies found around Aberdeen and the southern extent of the Firth of Forth.

The key socio-economic risks identified for the East region are:

• Reduction in fishing activity by vessels over 12m utilising demersal trawls, midwater trawls, demersal seines and mechanical dredges; and
• Diversion of the Eastern Green Link 3 cable route (Peterhead to South Humber power interconnector).

Fishing is an important industry in the East region with the value of landings for vessels under 12m at £19 million and £18 million for vessels over 12m. Fishing activity is particularly concentrated between Aberdeen and Arbroath, and in the Firth of Forth. The region also hosts two areas with some of the highest concentrations of fish processing plants, around Aberdeenshire and Aberdeen City.

There are two major airports in the East region including Aberdeen and Edinburgh, with the former serving frequent helicopter flights for offshore industries, with routes that cross through a number of OAs. There is also a high concentration of defence assets in the East region, including safeguarding of navigational routes and nationally critical infrastructure.

Busy shipping routes exist within the East region and are concentrated around the Firth of Forth, Firth of Tay and Aberdeen, with high amounts of vessel traffic supporting the oil gas industry as well as lifeline ferry routes from Aberdeen to the Orkney Islands and Shetland.

Marine tourism is predominantly concentrated around the Firth of Tay and Firth of Forth as well as the coast south of Edinburgh, with a number of Special Areas of Conservation along the coast helping to drive tourism.